'A Supply And Demand Problem': Riverside County Experiencing COVID-19 Vaccine Shortage
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) -- As Riverside County begins administering COVID-19 vaccines to all of its senior residents, its doses are becoming extremely limited, officials said Saturday.
"The estimate for the number of people currently eligible to receive the vaccine in Riverside County is in excess of 700,000," county officials said in a press release. "Yet, Riverside County has only received 114,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine."
Close to 80% of the doses the county has received have gone to hospitals, physicians, clinics, and pharmacies to vaccinate essential workers and other eligible residents.
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"This is not a volunteer issue. This is not a venue issue. This is a vaccine issue," said Board Chair Karen Spiegel, Second District Supervisor. "We've had plans in place for mass distribution for some time. Plans and places are not the concern. We do not have enough vaccine available to meet the demand."
The county opened more than 15,000 vaccine appointments on Wednesday and Friday, and all available timeslots were booked within two hours, according to the release.
"This is a time when we need to work together and not direct focus to areas that are not the problem," said V. Manuel Perez, Fourth District Supervisor. "This is a supply and demand problem."